International Students in Their Own Country: Motivation of Vietnamese Graduate Students to Attend a Collaborative Transnational University

Higher education institutions in Vietnam have embraced opportunities to collaborate internationally to address specific educational needs that have emerged as a result of an accelerated economic and political society. The shift to a global market-driven economy has resulted in the need to produce better prepared graduates, advance in technology, and a shift in teaching and learning practices. In this study, we examine the motivations of 22 Vietnamese graduate students to attend Vietnamese-German University (VGU). The site is of particular importance because VGU is a true collaboration between two different governments, resulting in a collaborative transnational university. The findings from this study indicate three connected pull factors for graduate students: instruction conducted in English, benefits of a German degree, and the low cost for an international degree. Implications from findings illuminate why Vietnamese graduate students make educational choices and provide insights on their academic experiences as they relate to societal priorities

Voices of Bethlehem Steel

This research and documentary film attempts to articulate the story of the worker at Bethlehem Steel formally located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In part, this is an examination of the labor unions at Bethlehem Steel and though they remain always in the background the film delves more deeply into the evolution of the worker at the plant from the early strikes for labor recognition to the closing of the plant. There are three chapters in the film; the 1941 Bethlehem Steel strike, the unions after their recognition, and the closing of the Bethlehem plant. The workers stories and analysis form the central component of the film and the methodology for selecting what would be included. Workers provide most of the analysis whereas the narration and multi-media selected serve to facilitate their story. What the documentary finds is a wealth of information on Bethlehem Steel as told by their workers coupled with the human emotion that accompanies their struggle. This documentary film explores workers at Bethlehem Steel, their initiation into labor unions, their evolution through the decades, and finally their lives through the closing

Challenges of Government Debt for Fiscal Policies in Malaysia

Having inherited a concerning amount of government debt and obligations from its predecessor, Malaysia\u27s newly elected political party faces a tough balancing act between being fiscally responsible and meeting its ambitious goals for socioeconomic reform. This article explores the friction between these two objectives by analyzing the fiscal policies proposed and implemented by the new administration as well as future improvements needed for long-term prosperity in public finance

Sons of the Soil: The Past, Present, and Future of Malaysia\u27s Bumiputera

The majority of Malaysia\u27s population is classified as bumiputera based on their ethnic and religious background. These bumiputera receive special privileges, as they have historically been on the low end of an economic disparity. This article examines the policies supporting said privileges, their suitability in the present, and the future of the bumiputera

On the Cyclic Inelastic Behavior and Shakedown-Based Design of Metallic Materials and Structures: Analysis and Experiments

Metallic structures in many engineering disciplines are subject to repeated and extreme thermomechanical loading conditions. The conventional design of these types of structures, that are not limited by high-cycle fatigue, employs first-yield criteriain order to avoid failure due to cyclic plasticity. However, yield-limited designs often fail to produce acceptable solutions for multifunctional structures in extreme environments. In order to overcome these limitations and capitalize on the elastoplasticload-bearing reserve, this dissertation analytically, numerically, and experimentally demonstrates inelastic design methods that exploit shakedown for metallic structures. Several analytic and numerical case studies are presented that are relevant to aerospaceand civil engineering applications. These include built-in beam structures, auxetics, and reinforced concrete structures. Experimentally, new macroscopic demonstrations of shakedown behavior and shakedown design (avoiding alternating plasticityand ratchetting) at ambient and elevated temperatures are made for two common engineering materials: the nickel-based superalloy IN625 and stainless steel 316L. The results indicate that allowing shakedown can significantly expand the feasible design space (2-4 times) compared to conventional first-yield. It is found that interactions with other material and structural behaviors such as dynamic strain aging, creep, and buckling can have both propitious and detrimental effects on the macroscopic shakedown response. In this way, this dissertation serves to promote more wide-spread adoption of shakedown-based analysis in realizing new structural concepts and accurately assessing the structural integrity of existing components